No. Mineral titles under the Gilgit-Baltistan Mining Concession Rules can only be granted to a locally incorporated entity. A foreign investor's practical routes in are a joint venture with an existing licence holder, a farm-in or earn-in agreement, or incorporating a Pakistani subsidiary and applying directly through that entity.
Guide
How to get a mining licence in Gilgit Baltistan
Mineral titles in Gilgit Baltistan run through four stages, reconnaissance, exploration, deposit retention, and mining lease, under the Gilgit-Baltistan Mining Concession Rules, 2016 (amended 2019 and 2024). Foreign companies cannot hold a title directly; they need a locally incorporated entity, a joint venture, or a farm-in agreement. Here is how the process actually works.
The four licence stages
Stage 1
Reconnaissance licence
The entry-level title. Covers broad-area reconnaissance survey work, not extraction. Application fee is Rs 15,000 under the Gilgit-Baltistan Mining Concession Rules, 2016.
Stage 2
Exploration licence
Granted for a defined area once reconnaissance work identifies a target worth pursuing. Covers drilling, sampling, and detailed geological mapping. Application fee is Rs 25,000.
Stage 3
Mineral deposit retention licence
Holds a defined, already-explored deposit for a holder not yet ready to mine it, so the ground isn't lost while financing or a mining lease application is arranged.
Stage 4
Mining lease
The production title. Granted once an exploration licence holder has confirmed a workable deposit and is ready to extract. This is the licence type our operational concessions hold.
How to apply
As of January 2025, all new mineral title applications are processed through the Mines and Minerals Department's online portal. Registering a company or firm account on the portal comes first; a mining lease or exploration application is then submitted under that registered entity, not as an individual. Under the 2016 rules, the Mines Committee has 30 days to review an application and forward its recommendation to the Licensing Authority, though real-world timelines vary with application volume and whether the requested area overlaps an existing title.
Fees, exact procedures, and application priority rules change periodically, most recently with amendments in 2019 and 2024, so treat the figures above as a starting point and confirm current requirements directly with the department before filing.
For a foreign investor, the more practical starting point is usually not a fresh application at all: it's partnering with an operator who already holds a licence. See our investment routes for how that works in practice.
For the numbers behind the sector, including how much of Gilgit Baltistan is actually under licence, see our Gilgit Baltistan mining statistics page.
Investor FAQ
Licensing FAQ
Direct answers on how mineral titles actually work in Gilgit Baltistan.
Under the 2016 rules, the Mines Committee is required to review an application and forward its recommendation to the Licensing Authority within 30 days of receipt. In practice, timelines depend on application volume and whether the area applied for overlaps an existing title.
As of January 2025, all new mineral title applications in Gilgit-Baltistan are processed through the department's online portal, which first requires registering a company or firm account before a mining lease application can be submitted under it.
The regulatory framework requires formal agreement with both the provincial mining authority and the local communities whose valleys a concession sits in, which are the two approvals that most often stall mining projects in this region when skipped. Licensed operators coordinate NOCs and security permissions for any field visit.